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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27618404">Watching you grow</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/neeerdaholic/pseuds/neeerdaholic'>neeerdaholic</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Dad Vader, Darth Vader A+ parenting, Darth Vader Raises Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader Redemption, Mentions of Obi-Wan Kenobi - Freeform, Young Luke Skywalker, soft darth vader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 03:33:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,031</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27618404</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/neeerdaholic/pseuds/neeerdaholic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff"><p>I know last line was kinda corny but nvm :)</p><p>Please drop a kudos and comment 😁😁</p></div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anakin Skywalker &amp; Luke Skywalker, Luke Skywalker &amp; Darth Vader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>82</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Watching you grow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> <strong>Luke is 1 week old</strong> </em>
</p><p>Vader still can't believe what happened, he's still trying to cope with the suit, the empire, and the little bundle of flesh wrapped in a soft blanket that resembles his son. </p><p>He is still mourning his wife.</p><p>He hears the cries of his son waiting for someone to carry and coo him back to sleep but he never answers. The cries of his son sound too much like the cries of the younglings he had slaughtered.</p><p>He only looked at the boy once, then isolated himself as far from him as possible. He watches the droids entering and leaving and he envies them. He knows those machines can never harm a child.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> <strong>Luke is 2 years old </strong> </em>
</p><p>Luke shows signs of force sensitivity just as vader had expected and feared. He doubles his efforts to hide his son from the emperor. His concern for the child grows even more as the boy still hadn't pronounced a single word yet. The droid nanny expresses her worry as well and suggests that the boy should be more exposed to other individuals to start developing social skills.</p><p>Vader, as expected, gives that suggestion a blind eye. He gathers a number of protocol droids and educational holovids instead.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> <strong>Luke is 7 years old</strong> </em>
</p><p>Luke is shy, quiet and caring, he spends his time reading and watching the holograms of different people. His bright force presence not even bothered by the sickening darkness emitted from the black walking carpet that follows him around and watches him from the dark. Luke thinks he should be scared of it, but he finds the robotic breathing rather soothing. He can feel the mechanical hand brushing his hair when he's asleep.</p><p>Luke decides that the dark figure is his guardian.</p><p>Vader decides to try and see if he can get closer to his son.</p><p>He's always been terrified of that idea, he's always been terrified of himself, he always thought he would hurt his child like he had hurt his wife, but he can't resist it any longer, the need to hold his son, talk to him, play with him, feed him. </p><p>He finally allows himself to hug his son for the first time. He takes off the upper part of his mask but not the respirator. He expects the boy to run away and cringe but his heart shatters even more as he sees his son shyly smile up to him, the small blue eyes twinkling with kindness. He presses his forehead against his son's, scarred flesh against soft skin, and he tries to tame the sobs that escape his mouth.</p><p>His weakest moment easily became his favourite.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>Luke is 14 years old.</em> </strong>
</p><p>Despite Vader's best efforts, the emperor finds out about luke. And much to vader's dismay, the emperor isn't really bothered by that fact, he is rather amused. But vader wasn't born yesterday, he knows what the emperor must be thinking. The emperor would wait until vader was at his most weakness and luke at his most emotional to replace father with son, he would gain much younger apprentice, one that isn't bounded by a suit or an attachment.</p><p>Vader starts to sense seeds of darkness growing within luke, small fits of anger every now or then, a hateful gaze, a haughty attitude. But no matter how much vader tried to encourage the darkness in luke, Luke would always return to the light. Calm. compassionate. Collective. The light always seemed to overcome darkness.</p><p>Eventually vader stops encouraging luke with the dark side. He would rather see his son laughing than slaughtering people.</p><p>He starts teaching his son in the ways of the light.</p><p>He starts questioning the path of darkness himself.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>Luke is 19 years old.</em> </strong>
</p><p>Luke knows the truth.</p><p>The truth about his father, how he was a jedi, and how he killed his mother.</p><p>Vader always knew the emperor would use that information against him someday but it hurt nevertheless.</p><p>It hurt to remember. It hurt to see the look on his son's face.</p><p>He is surprised when he learns that his son chose not to hate him for it, despite the obvious fact that he's hurting. He is astonished when he learns that his son ran away to join the rebellion.</p><p>Out of all outcomes he had imagined, he never thought he would get such mercy.</p><p>He is proud his son chose the light, his grin is from ear to ear when the emperor screamed at him. The light truly gave him strength.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>Luke is 21 years old.</em> </strong>
</p><p>Vader sees a holo of luke, smiling and engulfed by other rebels with kind expression on their faces. Vader sees a lightsabre hanging on Luke's belt, a lightsabre he once held in his own hands.</p><p>A part of him is enraged knowing that it must be kenobi who gave his son that old sabre, a part of his is proud that his little boy is a jedi. A jedi like his father before him.</p><p>He senses the light returning to his soul. He feels everyday slightly getting less bleak.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>Luke is 23 years old.</em> </strong>
</p><p>Luke decides to risk his life to turn his father back to the light. They are fighting side by side against the emperor. Vader can sense the light, he calls to it, he draws strength and calmness.</p><p>Anakin kills the emperor but he's injured. He doesn't care, he only wants luke to be safe.</p><p>Luke is holding him, he's dragging him to safety </p><p>It's too late. Anakin asks Luke to help him take his mask off instead.</p><p>Anakin is finally free.</p><p>He uses his last moment to kiss luke's forehead.</p><p>"I could never be more proud of you" is the last thing he says.</p><p>Luke is 23 when his father dies.</p><p>He's 23 when he stands in front of the lit pyre with his master by his side, they both shed silent tears but their hearts grateful knowing that he died a hero.</p><p>Luke knows his father never left him. He can sense his presence all around him. And he knows his father will continue to watch over him even in death.</p><p>The dark guardian turned blue.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I know last line was kinda corny but nvm :)</p><p>Please drop a kudos and comment 😁😁</p></blockquote></div></div>
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